The Monuments Men

Henry Carlton Newton
( 1896-1981 )

Born on July 7, 1896 in Rankin, Illinois, Henry Carlton Newton
studied architecture at Los Angeles Polytechnic. He served during World
War I as a second lieutenant in the field artillery before returning
home to teach architecture at The University of California. In addition
to his lectures, he accepted a commission in the 160th
Infantry Regiment, National Guard of California which continued for the
next two decades. A devout Catholic, he designed a number of churches
in Los Angeles, most notably the Precious Blood Catholic Church. He was
elected to the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1932 and named a
Fellow in 1943.

In 1940 the 160th
was called into active service. Newton was transferred to the armored
branch at Fort Knox, Kentucky, where he commanded the Armored Officers’
School affectionately nicknamed “Newton’s College” by the school’s
students and graduates. He served as Deputy Commanding General of the 12th
Armored Division in Camp Barkeley, Texas, which eventually deployed to
the European Theater as part of General Patton’s U.S. Third Army.

In
early 1944 Newton was selected by the Roberts Commission to coordinate
the work of the MFAA in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). The
highest ranking member of the AIA in the Armed Forces at the time,
Newton was highly regarded by his peers for his knowledge of the inner
workings of the military and his keen organizational abilities. His
detailed plan, “Tentative Program for the American Commission for the
Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe”
served as the basic framework for the work of the MFAA for years to
come.

During the course of his service with the MFAA, Newton
served in several positions, including War Department Representative of
the MFAA to SHAEF (May to September 1944), field inspector and advisor
to the MFAA in Italy (September to November 1944), Deputy Chief of the
MFAA (December 1944 to February 1945), Chief of the MFAA branch,
Reparation, Deliveries and Restitution (RD&R) Division (March to May
1945), and Chief of Ministerial Archives (May to October 1945). While
Newton left the MFAA in October 1945, he volunteered to remain in Europe
as Assistant Commandant of the newly formed U.S. Constabulary School in
Sonthofen, Bavaria. In 1948 he was transferred to the U.S. Army’s
Kitzingen Training Center in the Franconian region of Bavaria, the
largest school and training command in Europe. Upon returning to the
United States in 1950, he was assigned as Assistant Commandant at the
U.S. Army Intelligence School at Ft. Holabird, Maryland, and later
served as Director of Instruction and Assistant Commandant at the
Armored School at Ft. Knox. For his devoted service to his country, he
was awarded the Bronze Star and the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf
Cluster.

In July 1956, Newton retired from the U.S. Army after
a remarkable military career that spanned almost forty years of service
and two World Wars. Settling down in the Washington, D.C. area, he
became a founding member of the Board of Regents of Marymount University
in Arlington, Virginia. Over the next decade, he served as Chairman of
the college’s building committee, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and
was awarded the university’s President's Award in 1969. In later years,
he served as a consultant to the U.S. Secretary of Defense, where he
conducted major staff studies designed to improve the U.S. Army School
System.

Henry Newton died on November 20, 1981 in Washington D.C. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.*

*The
Foundation wishes to express thanks to Dr. Paul A. Harris, Associate
Professor of Political Science at Auburn University, for his
contributions to this biographical profile.